Career

At age 16, she began her career as a fashion model. Diaz signed with top modeling agency, Elite Model Management. After graduating from high school, she went to work in Japan and met video director Carlo de la Torre. On her return to America, she moved in with him. For the next few years, her modeling took her around the world, working for contracts with major companies. She modelled for the likes of Calvin Klein and Levi’s Jeans hitting model success very early in her illustrious career. She even graced the cover of the July 1990 issue of Seventeen magazines.

At the age of 22, Diaz auditioned for Jim Carrey’s The Mask. To her own surprise, and with no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead. Immediately after getting the part, she signed up for acting lessons. Over the next three years, she won roles in low-budget, independent films, such as The Last Supper, Feeling Minnesota, and She’s The One.

She then regained mainstream success with My Best Friend’s Wedding and There’s Something About Mary, and won critical acclaim for Being John Malkovich, which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA Awards and the SAG Awards.

Diaz has also starred in the hit adaptation of Charlie’s Angels and its sequel, and she voiced a lead character in Shrek and its sequel, for which she earned $10 million. In 2001, she won nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the AFI Awards for Vanilla Sky. For Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, she became the second actress (after Julia Roberts) to earn $20 million for a role; the film underperformed at the box office.

Diaz was mentioned regularly in British comedy series Bo’ Selecta, being referred to lovingly as ‘Cameron Up-Diaz’, and is credited as having appeared in one episode in 2003, though in reality her appearance consisted of little more than Avid Merrion trying to give engagement rings to her and her co-stars at the London premiere of Charlie’s Angels.

Diaz was the host of the 2005 MTV television series Trippin’. Maxim Magazine ranked her #22 in their annual hot 100 in 2004, then she ranked #11 in 2005. In 2006 she made the top 10 by ranking in at #7.

Future work for Diaz include a role in Shrek the Third in 2007 where she co-stars with then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake. She was set to team up again with The Mask co-star Jim Carrey in two films Fun with Dick and Jane where she dropped out to star in In Her Shoes. She was recently set to star opposite Carrey again in A Little Game Without Consequence that was planned to start filming in October for a summer release date. The film was shelved and filming is still yet to commence.